The Ultimate Guide to the Best LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

There’s no doubt in my mind that LED grow lights are the best lights for indoor growing. But with so many different styles and wattages of indoor garden lights how do you choose the best LED grow lights for plants in your home? Just because a grow light system is popular on Amazon, doesn’t mean it’s right for you. That’s why I’ve compiled my research to help you choose the best indoor grow lights for your unique growing situation.

Introduction to Plant Grow Lights & Indoor Growing Systems

Before we go any further, you should understand exactly what plant grow lights are and what an indoor growing system can do for you.

In the simplest of terms, indoor plant lights are artificial sources of light that stimulate plant growth. The best indoor growing lights simulate the sun and give the plant everything it needs for photosynthesis (how plants turn light into energy.)

Indoor plant grow lights provide a similar light spectrum to the sun by varying the colour, intensity (called lumens) and temperature of the light output. Countless studies show different types of plants respond better to different colours and intensities of light, so using indoor grow equipment allows the grower total control over the type of light the plants receive.

What you are trying to grow indoors will determine the best LED grow lights for you. The best vegetable grow lights are not necessarily the best lights to grow plants of other kinds. Of course, with more states legalising the growing of marijuana, the best lights to grow cannabis are a hot topic of conversation. (As such I’ve devoted an entire section below to the best weed growing lights.)

Why Choose LED Plant Lights?

There are many different kinds of grow light fixtures including High-Intensity Discharge or HID grow lights, Metal Halide, ceramic metal halide (CMH), High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), and good old everyday fluorescent lights. All of these types of lights to grow plants have their supporters and applications. However, as the best all-around indoor plant grow lights, my preference is for LED (Light Emitting Diodes) plant lights.

There are a number of reasons I prefer growing with LED lights:

LEDs are energy efficient grow lights and last for up to 50,000 hours. If you’re using them on a 12-hour timer this is equal to 11 years. Some people argue LEDs are expensive and, to be fair, they have a higher upfront cost than their HPS counterparts. Over time, however, they are cheap grow lights to run long-term thanks to their reduced power consumption.

They can be plugged into a regular socket and usually don’t require a separate ballast so they are easier to use in small spaces.

LED plant grow lights produce less heat than HPS grow lights and can be placed closer to your plants without risking damage. Producing less heat also means you expend less energy maintaining the correct temperature in your grow room.

LEDs can be customized to emit specific wavelengths of light (for example you can have red LED grow lights but studies show adding green and blue LED grow lights will help plants perform better. With LEDs you can adjust the colour balance to suit the specific plant type.)

LED full spectrum grow lights are the best grow lights for cannabis. (I’ll discuss why LEDs are the best lights for growing cannabis in full detail in their own section below.)

LEDs don’t contain harmful mercury so they don’t need to be disposed of in a particular way. This, in addition to their energy efficiency, makes LED grow lights the best choice for the environment.

Considerations for Choosing LED Growing Lights

Organic hydroponic vegetable garden

Before you go out and buy grow lights there are some things you need to consider. The best grow lights for your neighbour may not work well for you.

Budget – The first thing to ask yourself is ‘What is my budget?’ While you can buy reasonably cheap led lights these days, it’s always recommended to buy the best you can afford. Don’t be tempted to buy the cheapest lights you can find. As with most things, you get what you pay for when it comes to cheap LED grow lights. That said, if you are on a tight budget, there are affordable grow lights that perform well. You can find our top 5 picks in their own section below.

Space – Plant LED lights come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Obviously, it’s important to measure the surface area you want to cover with your lighting system. Don’t forget to measure the height you have available as well.

Plant Varieties – What are you going to grow? The LEDs you chose for general vegetable grow lights will not necessarily be the same as the best pot growing lights.

Growing Style – How are you going to grow your crops? Are you looking for the best hydroponic grow lights? Do you want the best grow lights for seedlings or flowering plants? Are you looking for the best LED for cannabis grown in the sea of green (SOG) style? The answers to your questions will result in different grow light options.

What to look for when choosing LED lights for plants

Durability – Obviously you want your LED grow light panel to be well-built and of heavy duty construction. You want to be sure they are made of the best materials possible and the wiring is going to stand up over time. Faulty wiring can create excess heat which is not only bad for your plants but could become a fire hazard. This is another important reason to buy the best quality grow lights you can afford.

Cooling System – LED lights are cooler than their HID and HPS counterparts. However, they should still contain a high-quality cooling system. The heat sink within your system should dissipate the heat created by the lights and move it away from the lighting system and your plants.

Color Spectrum – Plants primarily use red and blue spectrum light to progress through their growing stages. While HID and HPS systems use a full spectrum of light to target plant growth, a good LED system will include both red and blue lights for a perfect blend to help your plant grow. There are some growers who say white LED grow light is the closest to natural sunlight and is therefore better. However, white LEDs include yellow and green light that isn’t usable by plants and is therefore wasted making your grow lights less efficient.

PAR – PAR stands for photosynthetically active radiation. In simple terms, this is the light emitted that is actually usable by plants. Although many manufacturers provide details on lumen output (light visible to humans), for grow lights, it’s more important to understand the PAR output. If your plant isn’t using it, it is wasted energy. Manufacturers PAR data can be misleading as the value often changes from the centre to the edge of the light. The plants under the middle of the light will receive the full PAR value while those at the edges may be getting less light. A high PAR is not necessarily better. In fact, good led grow lights will have lower PAR values because the power isn’t concentrated in the centre but rather distributed evenly.

Wattage – When you see a wattage associated with a LED grow light, it is typically the equivalent wattage you would need in a HID or HPS light to get the same result. So a LED grow light listed as 400W can replace a 400 watt HID or HPS light but the actual wattage of the LED will be far less. This is way LED grow lights are much more energy-efficient. First-time buyers often assume the more wattage a grow light provides, the better. But bigger is not always better. The rule of thumb is you need 32 watts per square foot of growing space for flowering and light-loving plants like cannabis. Low-light plants like lettuces and herbs need only around 11-18 watts per square foot.

Programmable – If you are serious about growing, you’ll want to automate as much of the process as possible, not simply to lessen your workload, but more importantly, to lessen the possibility of human error. The best grow lights on the market offer a full range of programmability including setting light schedules, altering intensity, and customizing spectrums to best suit the individual plant.

Top 10 LED Grow Lights Comparison Guide

I’ve combed through dozens of options to bring you the top 10 LED grow lights Amazon sells. Below, you’ll find a comparison chart so you can see, at a glance, the sizes, wattages, and price ranges of the top rated led grow lights. Where possible and when my time allows, I’ll provide links to a more in-depth LED grow lights review for each product.

If you want the best grow light on the market, look no further. G8 was given the award for best led grow lights 2016 by High Times and I agree with their choice. G8 has been manufacturing high quality LED lights for 8 years. Their lights are built and tested in the USA and are backed by a two-year warranty. While the price tag is higher than most of the other grow lights on our list, you definitely get what you pay for. The company offers excellent service and their grow lights consistently produce higher yields than their competitors. G8 LEDs uses an 8-band ratio plus IR plus UV so it covers the entire growth cycle of your plants.

Pros:

High-quality construction; Made in the USA

Super-efficient diodes

Still cool to the touch after 24 hours

Covers 24 square feet

Expected lifespan of 50,000 hours or 15 years

Cons:

Higher cost of investment but will be worth the money for serious growers

Verdict: If you are serious about buying the best rated LED grow lights then G8 lights should be in your shopping cart. Read My full review here.

My pick for the best 1000 watt grow light is the Kind K5 XL1000. The Kind LED grow light provides a huge footprint with a mix of 320 3 and 5-watt light-emitting diodes. This highly programmable grow light allows digital tuning of the spectrum so you can match it to the exact plant type and growth stage. The Secondary Optical Lenses individually focus and intensify the diode output which magnifies the PAR and increases canopy penetration. My only beef with KIND is they don’t provide PAR data. While it’s not a perfect measurement, it’s helpful to understand the true coverage of the LED grow kit in question.

Pros:

Runs quiet and cool

Extremely energy efficient

Sleek design allows it to sit higher above plants

Easy setup and programming

Convenient handheld remote

Cons:

Power cord is short (only 6ft)

No PAR data for comparison purposes

Verdict: Kind makes some of the top LED grow lights on the market today and you really can’t go wrong with any of the lights in their product range. Read my full review here.

The BESTVA 2000 watt full spectrum grow light doesn’t have the quality build construction of the G8 or Kind systems but it is a good affordable option. The ‘double chips’ in the name refers to their double LED chips which consist of two 5W LEDs for a total of 10W per LED. The BESTVA comes with a dimmer feature to avoid plant ‘LED bleaching’ but you’ll need an external timer to switch the lights off for the recommended cooling period (every 5-6 hours).

Pros:

Double LEDs output more light while consuming less energy

Affordable

Useful dimmer switch feature

Great grow lights for beginning indoor gardeners

Cons:

Lower quality build

Requires a timer for recommended cooling off period

Verdict: While the BESTVA isn’t as well built as the top contenders, if you want to buy new grow lights without a huge cost investment, these are good starter lights. Read my full review here.

The King Plus 2000 watt is the first King LED grow light of three that made my top 10 list and the company’s most powerful LED grow light to date. This light is significantly brighter than others in this price range while still producing very little heat. Like the BESTVA, it contains 10W double chips; however, the construction of the King Plus feels sturdier. The King Plus also has a 4 PC fan cooling system. Though it’s efficient at cooling, it does run louder than other LED grow lights I’ve tested. Still, if noise isn’t an issue, the King Plus 2000W is a great choice for the price.

Pros:

Double LEDs output more light while consuming less energy

Affordable

Sturdier construction with effective heat dissipation

Cons:

Fans make it noisier than other lights tested

You can’t daisy chain multiple lights together

Verdict: If you don’t mind a bit of noise the King Plus lights offer a great compromise between quality and value. Read my full review here.

The King Plus 1500W is almost identical to its big brother listed above. It has the same super-bright double chip 10W LEDs and the same rugged construction. If you have a small space or require a lower wattage than the 2000W the King Plus 1500W is a great option.

Pros:

Double LEDs output more light while consuming less energy

Cost effective

Same study build construction as the more powerful unit

Cons:

Fans make it noisier than other lights tested

You can’t daisy chain multiple lights together

Verdict: Like it’s big brother above, these are good quality garden grow lights for the investment cost.

You’ll see a few different options for 600w grow lights in my top 5 cheap grow lights section below. However, if you’re looking for the best 600 watt LED grow light, my pick is the Advanced Platinum P600. The P600 contains 200 3W LEDs that are made in the USA with integrated 90-degree secondary focusing lenses. Platinum uses the full 12-band spectrum while still producing minimal heat. The P600 has individual settings for both the Veg and Bloom stages of growth. While more expensive than other 600 watt grow lights, these are professional quality LED lights and are well worth the expense for serious growers.

Pros:

Top Quality US Made LEDs and excellent build quality

auto-switching 110v/220v LED drivers

excellent customer service backed by a 5-year USA based warranty

4 large yet super quiet fans for cooling

Cons:

Higher cost of investment but will be worth the money for serious growers

Verdict: The Advanced Platinum Series are the very best indoor LED grow lights in the 600-watt range. Read my full review here.

The Viparspectra V450 provides 12-band full spectrum light. It’s an incredibly popular choice due to its value for money. The V450 offers daisy chain connection with other lights, has switches for both bloom and veg cycles, and consumes only 200 watts of power – all at a very reasonable price. It does produce a bit more heat than some of the other options on the market but overall it’s a good starter light or as a supplement to your LED grow room.

Pros:

Ability to daisy chain lights

Sturdy metal casing

Affordable

Cons:

Tends to run hotter than higher-quality LED lights

Verdict: It’s not fancy but it works and makes a good additional light for your indoor growing setup.

COB, short for chip-on-board, or ‘integrated’ grow lights have their proponents so I wanted to include my top choice for this style of grow light. COBs are created by placing many low-watt LEDs (typically 0.5W or 1W) side-by-side on a circuit board. The light is magnified by a lens that intensifies the light without creating hot spots. The downside of COB grow lights is the size of the reflector makes the unit bulkier. One of the nice features of the Roleadro grow light is every COB has an isolated driver. This means if one of the COBs should happen to fail, the others remain operational. The Roleadro grow lights also offer the ability to daisy-chain up to 5 units.

Pros:

Isolated drivers prevent all COBs from failing at once

Ability to daisy-chain up to 5 lights

Affordable

Cons:

COB LEDs are bulkier than other LED panels due to the depth of the reflectors

Some users complained of fans burning out quickly

Verdict: If you prefer the COB style, the Roleadro is a good 400 watt LED grow light for the money.

My pick for the best 300 watt grow light is the Mars Hydro Reflector144. (Ok, it’s actually 317 watts but it’s close enough!) The Mars Hydro brand of grow lights has a lot of fans. They’ve been manufacturing lights with their unique ‘Special Reflector’ design for 7 years. The lights have tiny reflectors around each individual LED giving a high PAR output not seen in regular LED lights. This makes Mars Hydro lights particularly energy efficient to run. The build quality is super and the lights run bright without getting hot. Even the hangers that come with the Mars Hydro are of a higher quality than I see with most grow lights. If you need multiple grow lights, the Mars Hydro range is modular making it highly customizable.

Pros:

Energy efficient

Sturdy build quality and great design

Great value for money

Modular design makes multiple light customization easy

Cons:

No UV or IR lights

Verdict: Mars Hydro grow lights are a solid choice, particularly in a multi-light grow room. The cost is higher than other options of equivalent wattages but the build quality is far superior.

Many growers believe the best small LED grow light is the UFO style light. A UFO grow light is round rather than rectangular and is a good option if you have a small grow tent or cabinet. In my opinion, the best LED UFO grow light comes from Apollo. As UFO lights are smaller and lower wattages, they are typically seen as entry-level grow lights and don’t have the same build quality as the top brands. I have seen some reviewers complain about these lights having a shorter lifespan than expected, however, these make good starter lights if you’re not ready to invest a lot of money in your indoor growing adventure just yet.

Pros:

Affordable

UFO style is good for small spaces

Cons:

Build quality is not as good as more expensive options

Verdict: A good beginner grow light if you want to try growing a few plants indoors in a small space. Read my full review here.

5 Best Affordable LED Grow Lights

I know what it’s like to be on a tight budget and sometimes we can’t always buy the top of the line. That’s why I’ve dedicated this section to the best affordable LED Grow Lights. There are some budget options in the list above and I do believe it’s worth buying the best quality you can afford. However, the following are my top 5 LED grow lights that won’t put too much strain on your wallet while still providing decent quality.

HIGROW makes a surprisingly good 600 watt grow light for the price. The 90-degree optical lenses concentrate the light providing a lot of bang for your buck. There are separate veg and bloom settings and an extremely good cooling system. The lights draw only around 250 watts making them highly energy efficient as well. If you’re looking for the best full spectrum LED grow lights you can buy on a limited budget, look closely at the HIGROW range.

Pros:

Good value for money

Optical lenses make for bright lights

Cons:

Not as well made as the top brands but really little to complain about for the price.

Verdict: My pick for the best budget led grow light range and a great starter light for beginners.

Anjeet makes both a 300W and a 600w led grow light. Like the HIGROW (and many other grow lights available) they are made in China. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and at a price point of under 100$, you really can’t complain. Will the Anjeet lights perform as well or last as long as the lights in my top 10? No. But it’s a decent choice if you’re looking for cheap indoor grow lights.

Pros:

Good cheap grow lights for indoor plants

Several reviewers who had issues noted the company provided good customer service

Another made in China brand, Meizhi gets a lot of positive reviews on Amazon. It has daisy-chain capability and offers veg and bloom settings. It’s 12-band full spectrum light with 90-degree reflectors. There are some issues with it running hotter than higher-quality brands, but like the other grow lights in this category, it’s a solid choice for an entry-level light.

Like the Reflector-Series 450W I mentioned in my top 10 list, the VIPARSPECTRA 300w led grow light offers good value for a low cost. It’s a best-seller on Amazon and possibly the best cheap led grow light on the market. It does tend to run hot, particularly in a small enclosed space and there are a few complaints the lights conked out sooner than they should have and if this is a concern I’d recommend investing in a higher-quality brand. If you’re looking to buy led grow lights cheap and aren’t as concerned about longevity, VIPARSPECTRA is a solid option.

Like the other grow lights on the affordable GalaxyHydro is a popular choice on Amazon. They are cheap and provide a decent level of quality for the low price. The lights can be daisy-chained and provide full-spectrum light. They also come with an auto timer for easy scheduling. GalaxyHydro lights tend to run cooler than VIPARSPECTRA; however, the downside is they can be noisy.

Best LED Grow Lights Info

Everything you ever wanted to know about indoor gardening with LED grow lights, including my complete guide to the best grow lights Amazon sells, LED grow lights reviews, and the best cheap grow lights for plants.

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